Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Los-Angeles-Kings

The reigning Stanley Cup champion hasn't missed the playoffs since the Carolina Hurricanes missed in 2006-07, and it's happened just four times overall since 1967-68. However, a 4-2 loss to the lowly Edmonton Oilers means the Los Angeles Kings are in danger of adding themselves to that list.

They now sit three points outside the final wild card spot with games remaining against the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks. It's widely believed that the Kings will be tough to eliminate if they get in, but watching them sputter down the stretch you can't help but believe this group has run out of gas after three straight long playoff runs. If this is it for the Kings, it was an incredible run.

Of all the unlikely NHL playoff scenarios, it’s difficult to top this one. The Kings, winners of the Stanley Cup in two of the past three seasons, might have had their season ended by the lowly Edmonton Oilers.

The Kings aren’t done. They still have a plausible path to the playoffs, but it developed a massive, shocking pothole Tuesday night when the Oilers beat the Kings 4-2 at Rexall Place.

With two games remaining in their season, the Kings are two points behind Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division and three points behind Winnipeg for the second and final Western Conference wild-card spot. The Kings play at Calgary on Thursday, in a game that could eliminate them from the postseason race.

''We definitely have to get our urgency up and our emotional level up, after a tough loss,’’ defenseman Jake Muzzin said on Prime Ticket. ''Stay calm and collected as a group. We know what it takes. We’ve got a bunch of experienced guys, and we need to up our urgency for the next game.’’

On whether heavy minutes by several players last night places an emphasis on rolling four lines tonight:

No, we’re looking to win, not playing favorites, I’m not looking at last night. Other than Kopi, who did? Nobody. Other than Kopi, nobody played over their [minutes], and he had to because he was a lefthander who could win every faceoff, and he was dominant, so he went off for every backhand faceoff in his zone. And, obviously with overtime, if you figure that in, that’s 65, so there’s guys who get a couple more minutes. There was nobody that was over there. In fact, some guys were under it. Some guys were half speed and couldn’t play last night. They were just along for the ride.

The reigning champs sure aren't making it easy on themselves. More specifically, the Sedins are making things tough. In full Game 7 mode, the Canucks came up big in the shootout with a 2-1 win over the Kings.

Career assist No. 700 for Henrik Sedin might have been the highlight of the night, when he went behind the net then sent a blind backhand in the direction of Daniel Sedin for a one-timer. It was pure Sedin and couldn't have come at a better time, tying the game up in the third period.

With the win, the Canucks moved one step closer to locking up a playoff spot and served up a reminder that the hockey world is better off with the Sedins in the postseason.

more from the ESPN crew including Lebrun on the Wild, Strang on the Jets and Burnside on the last week of the season...

If the Kings miss the playoffs, it might be because of the shootout. The post-regulation skills competition has haunted them all season, and it bit them again in a 2-1 shootout loss to Vancouver at Rogers Arena.

The Kings surrendered a third-period lead, as Daniel Sedin scored with 10:06 left in regulation, then the Kings put forth a tepid effort in the shootout. Canucks goalie Eddie Lack stopped three Kings wrist shots, and Chris Higgins beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick in the third round to give Vancouver the extra point.

The Kings fell out of a playoff spot with three games remaining, and that’s largely because of extra-curricular activity. The Kings now have a 2-8 shootout record, plus a 1-7 record in games that end in the overtime period.

“We haven’t been helping Quickie out too much,’’ center Trevor Lewis said on Prime Ticket. “It’s over now. We have to move on. We only have three games left so we have to focus on the next game.’’

The Kings are technically tied with Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division but are losing the tiebreaker, and they are one point behind Winnipeg for the second and final wild-card spot. The Kings, Flames and Jets all have three games remaining.

The Kings’ final road trip of the season includes games against Vancouver (on Monday) and Calgary (Thursday). The Kings are three points behind the Canucks for second place in the Pacific Division and one point behind the Canucks, and hold one game in hand over both teams.

It stands to reason that if the Kings win both games, and beat non-playoff teams Edmonton and San Jose, they could finish second in the division and have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Then again, if the Kings struggle on the road this week, they could miss the playoffs entirely.

''It’s in our hands, and that’s how we want it,’’ center Anze Kopitar. ''We don’t necessarily love the position we’re in right now, but everything is still in our hands, and that’s the way we want it.’’

The Kings currently stand on the shakiest of ground. They hold the second and final Western Conference wild-card spot via tiebreaker, because both the Kings and Jets have 92 points with four games remaining.

The 22-year-old Pearson (born on Aug. 10, 1992) is a 6-1, 205-pound native of Kitchener, Ontario, who has appeared in 67 career NHL regular season games, all with the Kings, totaling 23 points (15-8=23), a plus-16 rating and 22 penalty minutes.

A first round (30th overall) selection of the Kings at the 2012 NHL Draft, Pearson has tallied 16 points (12-4=16), a plus-14 rating and 14 penalty minutes this season. He has missed 34 games this season due to a lower-body injury that he sustained on Jan. 10 vs. WPG.

Pearson was part of the 2014 Stanley Cup run with Los Angeles. He has played in 25 career postseason games, registering 12 points (4-8=12), a plus-10 rating and 8 penalty minutes.

Like we've come accustomed to in recent years, the Los Angeles Kings are taking their postseason push into the final stages of the NHL's regular season. Not all hope is lost, however, especially with a roster that has continually proved to come up big in high-pressure situations.

With six games left on the regular season slate, the Kings find themselves on the outside looking in at the Western Conference’s playoff picture. As of Wednesday, as the Kings prepare to start a two-game home stand at STAPLES Center, they’re slated as having a 61.1 % chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

HOME COOKIN’: The Kings return to STAPLES Center Thursday night, where they’ve posted a 22-9-7 record this season, for two match ups (EDM Thursday, COL Saturday) where extremely earnable points are up for the taking. Edmonton is already eliminated, and Colorado is on the cusp of being such. These are four points the Kings are in dire need of.

PACIFIC PUSH: It’s very much in the Kings’ favor that they will see both of the teams they’re chasing in the Pacific Division, Calgary and Vancouver, one more time each respectively. These will be huge opportunities for the Kings to gain ground in four-point game scenarios. What’s also helpful to the Kings, is the fact that they have one game in hand on each of these division foes.

As first pointed out by the guys over at Jewels From the Crown, there’s a scenario where we find ourselves on the last day of the season and the Jets and Flames find themselves locked in battle, tied…only to stop trying with minutes to play and letting the game get to OT, because both teams earning loser points would mean the Kings get eliminated.